Paper short abstract:

This presentation analyzes the political context of the challenges youth face in accessing land in rural Africa. I draw on ethnographic research in eastern Uganda to explore the multifaceted livelihood strategies employed by youth within a context of rising competition and conflict over land.

Paper long abstract:

Due to the vast number of youth in Sub-Saharan Africa, there is increasing interest within development circles in understanding the challenges they face in acquiring rights to land. Numerous researchers argue that rural youth must gain greater access to land if there is to be a future of sustainable agriculture in Africa. Several even trace large-scale political conflicts—such as the 1990s civil war in Sierra Leone—to generational tensions between youth and elders that are deeply embedded in the politics of land. This presentation draws on ethnographic research that I have conducted in rural Teso region of eastern Uganda to explore the multifaceted livelihood strategies employed by youth within a context of rising competition and conflict over land. I draw on case studies of one young man, one young woman, and a youth-led agrarian community-based organization, each of which illuminate significant heterogeneity within the youth population. For instance, while many poor young males seek wage labor opportunities in trading centers and small towns in order to avoid agricultural work—a trend that other researchers have observed across Africa as well—there are also youth who envision agriculture as the best means to developing sustainable and prosperous livelihoods. However, clan-based land allocation and inheritance mechanisms—which reproduce gerontocratic political and patriarchal dominance—complicate efforts of young people who pursue agrarian livelihoods. Ultimately, one must ask what are the long-term political impacts of a vast youth segment in Africa that faces significant challenges in securing rights to land?